The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Bipes

a genus of squamate reptiles of the family Amphisbaenidae. Lizards of this genus have a marked cutaneous fold on both sides of the body. The eyes are covered by skin and show through as small dark spots. The animals measure as much as 25 cm in length. In contrast to all other members of the Amphisbaenidae, they have weakly developed anterior extremities with three or five digits, usually all the same size, with small claws.

The genus consists of three species: B. canaliculatus, B. tridactylus, and B. biporus. The lizards are distributed in the southern part of Baja California and in Western Mexico. They are burrowers and are also found in the nests of ants and termites. They feed on small invertebrates.

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References in periodicals archive

Lefevre's monograph (1932) divided Peridinium into subgenus Cleistoperidinium (with Groupes Willei, Striolatum, Cinctum, and Palatinum) and subgenus Poroperidinium (with Groupes Bipes, Gutwinskii, Umbonatum, Elpatiewskyi, Cunningtonii, Lindemanni, Penardi, Lomnickii, Godlewskii, Allorgei, and Polonicum).

bipes) distant from "Peridinium" umbonatum (Saldarriaga and others 2004).

Parvodinium gen. nov. for the Umbonatum Group of Peridinium (Dinophyceae)

The Amphisbaenia are a sub-order of Squamata, characterized by fossorial habits, absence of limbs (except for Bipes) elongated body, and a unique ring-like arrangement of body scale rows (Gans, 1978).

Excavatory cycle of leposternon microcephalum Wagler, 1824 (Reptilia, Amphisbaenia)/ Ciclo excavatorio de Leposternon microcephalum Wagler, 1824 (Reptilia, Amphisbaenia)

New records of insular distribution of four reptiles from northwestern Mexico are provided: Anniella pulchra (Todos Santos Norte island), Phyllodactylus homolepidurus, (Farallon de San Ignacio island), Bipes biporus (Magdalena island) and Chilomeniscus stramineus (Santa Margarita island).

Registros nuevos de reptiles en islas del noroeste de Mexico

Vidi bipedem super tripodem sedentem, cecidit bipes, corruit tripes.

A variant of the riddle found in Paris BN lat 2796 illustrates the point: "Vidi pipedem [bipedem] sedentem super tripedem; cecidit tripes corruit bipes." This version of the riddle accords with Garrison's solution much better in that the order of the final two clauses of the riddle is reversed.

(10) The kingdom is thus a tripes or tripod upon which the king, a bipes, is enthroned.

(18) In this instance, however, I would argue that bipes is the king, and the tripodem on which he sits is his throne, his stol, supported by the "three" orders that comprise and support the good Christian nation.

A riddle on the three orders in the Collectanea Pseudo-Bedae?